Nicole Ari Parker

Nicole Ari Parker is an American model and actress. She is famous for her role on the television series Soul Food. Her parents are both black. She is married to actor Boris Kodjoe, who is of mixed background. The couple has two children.

Nicole has said:

I’m just light-skinned and from Baltimore… My mother’s from North Carolina and she has green eyes and freckles. So, I’m sure there’s a whole lot of white and Native-American mixed-in there. But I’m only claiming African-American, because that’s really what I know.

A picture of Nicole with her father can be seen here. A picture of Nicole with her mother can be seen here.

Racist? I’m sure, when she says, “I’m only claiming African-American, because that’s really what I know,” she only refers to her experiences with American white racists.

She obviously is mixed, but in fewer years many Americans tend to call any person “black”/African-American with partly African-American descent and let them know this. When they don’t want to integrate you, you sh*t on them.

I think you should be proud of your heritage, both ethnicity and racial. There is nothing wrong with her feeling more connected to her African-American ethnicity. That’s her socialization and that’s fine, but you can’t deny your racial heritage, especially when it’s so obvious. Look, that is the story of America, embrace it, be proud.

I really wish people would stop talking about how some Africans are this light in southern Africa or have hair like that in eastern Africa. The large majority of slaves did not originate from those areas. Sure there may have been some admixtures, but slaves on the American continent came mainly from West Africa.
Parker herself admits that there must be a lot of European and Native American in there, so why do some people on here try to prove how she can be only black??
“African-American” is a culture that she identifies with and grew up in, but does not mean that she is of pure African descent.
I live in Europe and there is no way she would be considered black here. She would be considered mixed race, especially by Africans.